Have you ever noticed that closed-minded people seem to keep their mouths open? In my opinion, the more stuck someone is, the more they will share their stuck stance with others, determined to declare how right they are, usually with an air of everyone else’s incorrectness. There is little invitation to dialogue. There is little listening. There is little respect. It is a selfish approach, which makes sense. Closed-mindedness turns inward but is often spewed outward.

The reality is closed-minded people can be right at times; however, their delivery drowns out anything they want to communicate. 

I have to admit: I’ve been this person at times. I’d like to excuse it as being isolated to my youth, but I know better to self-assess. Others might see me differently. 

Our culture has generally become an opinionated field of geysers. Don’t get too close. What is only bubbling right now might forcefully spew any moment, and there’s not much you can do about it. Geysers are one way. You’re not going to have any input. Output is the only way a geyser functions. Of course, they have a source, so if you’re part of the magma, groundwater, rock combination that produces the geyser, then I suppose you have indeed found a way to invest into the geyser.

Instead of complaining, what can we do? Steer clear? Sometimes, yes, it’s the only option we have. However, we don’t want to give up every single time. Sometimes there is a bit of an open door. Someone is incessantly talking, and they sound harsh and inflexible, but they aren’t as close-minded as they initially sound. Some people talk because they’re talking it out as they think about it. They are trying to convince themselves as much as the people around them. 

We need to attempt to assess where someone’s coming from, how approachable they might be, and what the best next steps we should take. The answers aren’t easy most of the time. Our own motivation isn’t always the best, so as we approach others, we can meet added resistance. If we are too set in concrete of what we want the path and destination to be, we’ll likely be frustrated—not to mention edge into the same category of close-minded we’re working against. It doesn’t require much pressure before we begin pushing toward a preferred outcome. It’s what we do when we disagree. We become blind to anything we have in common. We focus on the differences, face off, plant our feet, and refuse to be the one who moves. The other one must move before we move. 

And closed-mindedness enters the picture.

We don’t need to change our beliefs or opinions to be respectful and keep an open mind. And we can certainly control our speech—and our attitudes. Consistency can be good, but stuck is different. Consistency can be a position in which beliefs and opinions are discussed and challenged. They might remain the same at their core but not because they are untested and stale. Instead, they are examined and cultivated, pruned and honed. They are rarely expressed with harshness, although some might receive it that way, simply because they disagree and are defensive to anything different from their own preferences. But open-mindedness comes with a humility that, if you’re willing to look for and accept it, will reveal more of a meandering stream that tries to refresh and feed the surrounding ecosystem than a geyser that surprises and scalds anything around it.